Starlight
by Lady Mac
Summary: Movie continuation. After Howl and Sophie are freed from their curses, they discover that there are still many things that need to be resolved, both in their private lives and in much more sinister places. Will they have the strength to pull through? N
1. In Which Howl and Sophie Express

Starlight

By Lady Mac

Time: immediately following the conclusion of _Howl's Moving Castle_. Yeah, yeah, it's a sequel, so sue me. (actually, please don't! I don't even pretend to make money!) However, it starts _before_ the bit with the kiss on the balcony. I plan to incorporate that into this. So as of now, only the one kiss. Not the Disney-movie-ending kiss (not yet). (I find it kind of ironic that they ended a Miyazaki movie with a kiss like from the end of _The Little Mermaid, Aladdin_, etc., especially since it was dubbed by Disney. Didn't they do a great job, though? I have no complaints.)

Thus, you won't understand this at all unless you've seen the movie, and it has some spoilers. So what I recommend is going out and seeing it a couple times, _then_ reading this. I won't be offended. But what I won't do is explain the whole film. The only explaining I'll do is in little tiny bits for things you might have missed/forgotten, but I'll try to keep those to an absolute minimum.

Additional disclaimer: The only bit of _Howl's Moving Castle _that I own is the ticket stub that proves I paid $8.50 for the 4:30 show at a Landmark theater. What sucks is that I drank a large raspberry iced tea, and I held it for an hour before the movie got to a spot that I felt I could afford to miss in favor of relieving my bladder (all I missed was the bit when they take Calcifer out of the castle, so it wasn't hard to catch back on). Remind me never to do that again, especially with a Miyazaki film. (Revision: I saw it again! It was so cool! I totally recommend seeing it more than once.)

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Kapitel Eins

In Which Howl and Sophie Express Themselves Very Clearly

(First revision)

Howl awoke to a gentle knocking on his door and the mouth-watering smell of frying bacon. "Come in?"

Sophie opened the door and cheerfully poked her head in. "Good morning! I just made breakfast; you should come down and eat with us!"

He smiled at her as he pushed his blankets back and sat up. In all the time they'd been together – and especially since their curses had been broken – her seemingly boundless energy never ceased to amaze him. Even in his room, filled as it was with bright, shiny baubles and things, her face always drew his eye. It always had, he realized – ever since he had first laid eyes on her in that alley, he had felt drawn to her, compelled to be near her. He supposed now that this was love – something he thought he had known in the past, but he had never experienced quite as he did now. The only problem was, he really had no idea how to tell her.

She raised a silver eyebrow at him, snapping him out of his stupor. "Hello? Are you going to come eat?"

"Oh! Yes." He stood up and stretched. "Just let me pull some clothes on."

Her laughter reminded him of a wind chime. "Too self-conscious to eat breakfast in your nightshirt?"

"Quiet," he said, pushing the door gently closed.

Sophie glanced back at him when he appeared on the stairs a few minutes later. "Oh! You're wearing something else!"

He laughed a little, throwing his head back to shake his dark hair out of his eyes. "I beg your pardon?"

"I've never see you wearing anything but those black pants and a white shirt." She looked approvingly at his beige trousers and red tunic shirt, then pulled the frying pan off of Calcifer and moved to the table, where Markl and the witch were already waiting. "I mean, you've worn other things over the top, but I've never seen you _not_ wearing that. So I'm glad you're finally branching out in your wardrobe and wearing all those things I've washed for you."

Howl sat down at the table and picked up his fork with mock haughtiness. "Whatever do you mean, my dear girl? There's plenty of variety in my wardrobe. I seem to recall, the time you rearranged my bathroom, I came rushing down here in nothing at all."

Sophie couldn't help the blush that crept into her cheeks as he dug into his bacon and eggs, and Markl snickered a little. "You had a towel on at the time," she said brusquely, trying to ignore the images that were creeping into her mind. Images of him wearing next to nothing, and … well, she had certainly _not_ forgotten that the towel had fallen off on their way up the stairs, and she had seen a fair bit more than she wanted to while trying to heft him into the bath.

"What do you think of my hair this color, anyways?" he asked, looking up at his bangs as he chewed.

"I like this fine," she said. "It's your natural color, isn't it?"

He raised his eyebrows. "It is. How did you know?"

"When … after I threw the water on Calcifer, and what was left of the castle crashed, I went into your past, and I saw you. That's how I knew how to save you then, because I saw you swallow the falling star. But anyways, your hair was dark then."

"And your feathers are black, too," Markl chimed in. "Even when your hair was blond, they never changed color."

Howl sighed and sat back. "I do miss being blond. That color was so beautiful."

"Mm, beautiful." The witch nodded absently.

"I liked it red!" said Calcifer, and they turned around to look at him.

"That's because _you're _red," Howl said. "My _hair_ was a horrible shade of ginger."

"Well, I liked it, too," Sophie agreed. "Better than the blond, anyway. It was a very nice color."

Howl turned back around and scowled at his plate. "Well, _I_ didn't like it."

"You were just in shock. You're too vain." Calcifer snapped and popped aggressively.

"Do you _want_ me to pour water on you? It won't hurt _me_ any more."

"Oooh, I'm so scared. You kill me, your castle doesn't move and there's no hot water for your bath."

"I happen to like the castle where it is, and a plain old fire can heat water just as well as you."

"Oh yeah? Wanna bet?"

Sophie stood up and stalked over to the sink to wash her plate.

"Sophie?"

"You're _sooo_ petty!" She turned around and glared at him. "What's the big deal, anyway? It's only hair color! It's not like it will make me not love you or anything!"

All five pairs of eyes in the room fixed on her, and she snapped her mouth shut.

Howl stood up gracefully from the kitchen table. "Will you come with me, please?"

His manner was stiff and formal, but Sophie didn't miss the glint in his eye as he gestured up the stairs. All the same, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed as she followed him up several flights of stairs and out onto a balcony on the front of the castle, pulling her new hat off its hook on the way. The wind whipped through his hair as they flew through the clouds, and when he reached the end he turned back, offering his hand to her. When she hesitated, he smiled gently. "Don't be afraid, Sophie."

"I'm not." But she refused his help, and moved up the railing to stand beside him. Her bright yellow dress fluttered gaily around her legs.

"Sophie …" he began, then stopped and shook his head. "Look, you don't have to be afraid of what you said down there."

She felt his bright blue eyes watching her, but kept her eyes averted, fixed on the fluffy cloudscape they were traveling through. "I … I know."

He sighed. "Sophie, I know you love me. You couldn't have done what you did for me and Calcifer if you didn't. I really, truly appreciate that."

Her heart clenched in her chest, and she felt as if she couldn't breathe. Was he turning her down? She fought back the lump in her throat.

"Sophie?"

She looked up into his face, its usual beauty marred by worry.

"Sophie, I – "

"Why do you keep saying my name?" she interrupted.

He stopped, straightened. "Well, I … I don't know, really. I like to say it." When she looked like she didn't believe him, he finally threw all cautions to the wind, bent down to her, and planted a firm kiss squarely on her little, surprised mouth.

Sophie's brain froze when his lips touched hers, but gradually she became aware that she should do something. Letting go of her reservations, she allowed her eyes to close, her arms to encircle his neck and shoulders as his were across her back.

He broke the kiss then, pulling back only far enough so he could look into her eyes. With a playful grin, he lifted her to sit on the railing. She squealed in surprise, but he smothered it with another kiss, more passionate than the last. Her arms clung to his slender waist, and he held her to his chest, pressing their bodies together.

Howl had never known a kiss like this one. Magic exploded in his veins, and he felt it pouring into her, electrifying them both. He couldn't get enough. He held her against him, felt her heart beating against his. He moved one hand and fisted it in her hair, his body crying for more of her. Her fingernails caught his shirt as he changed the angle of the kiss, leaning in, trying to taste her. She opened to him effortlessly, and they tasted each other, reveling in the passion of their embrace.

After what seemed like lifetimes, their lips finally parted. Howl stumbled backwards, catching Sophie against him as he leaned on the opposite railing. She held his hands together in hers as she leaned on him, her radiant face beaming up at him. He was smiling so broadly he felt his face might split in two. "I love you, Sophie."

She couldn't tear her eyes off his face. "I love you, too."

He leaned down again, and as her lips rose to meet his, he knew he was the luckiest man in the world.

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Ende Kapitel Eins

A/N: So what did you think? My biggest concern is if Sophie, Howl, and the others are in character. I'm also not sure if I've got all the events (particularly minor ones) correct. I've only seen the movie once, but I mean to see it again soon. Please, PLEASE review! Also, please go to http / ladymac (dot) deviant art (dot) com (take out spaces, of course), click on my deviation entitled "Howl's Hair Color Challenge" and VOTE! Heh heh heh …. This should be fun. Thanks for reading!


	2. In Which There Are A Number of

Starlight

By Lady Mac

A/N: WOOT! Chapter two! I really had no idea how long it would take to write this, since I don't have any sort of plot planned out, except for some stuff way down the line. I'll probably take my normal route and just write some sappy stuff. So if you're offended in any way by that, just don't read, because pretty much all I write is WAFF-y, saccharine-sweet romance.

Have you ever eaten a packet of artificial sweetener? I have. Don't do it. It's disgusting.

Okay, and now a confession: I'm actively working on three stories at once. I never intended for it to happen, but it did. Top it off with fanart, trying to find a job, preparing for college, and spending time with my boyfriend (v2k3, from the early "Hitori" chapters and some _Macbeth_ (gasp! Macbeth? What happened to _that_?)) before he moves to Madison in August and our HS romance ends, and there's little chance of me getting much done on _any_ front. But worry not; I WILL continue everything at some point. Just be patient. And if it gets to be a long time w/o posting anywhere, I'll put some little crap piece up as an apology, just so you know I didn't drop of the face of the Earth, or something.

And naturally, the three-story count doesn't include "Event Horizon" or "All That's Left of Yesterday," though I am not finished with those (I think). I'm trying to figure out a second chapter for "Event Horizon," but I've been feeling pretty good on the "ATLOY" front, so not much there for now. Just wait until August – then you can expect to see several chapters all at once. Maybe even a spinoff in the _Howl's_ universe.

You know what's hot? Gay guys. Yeah. I'm glad v2k3 is metro enough that I don't feel bad that he's never "obliged" our gay friend, iykwim. I'm also glad that he's not homophobic, so some interesting things have happened. I … won't go into that. ahem

Did you ever notice that I spend more time writing author's notes than the actual story? Feel free to yell at me for it.

You know, as much as I dislike Sarah Brightman's Christine, she does have very impressive technical facility. And in her lower range, she sounds downright good. That's totally irrelevant to everything here, I know.

Thanx also to brother Pete for beta-ing this for me (kind of).

Urgh. Mir tut mein Finger ein bißchen weh, weil ich Gestern Blut gegeben habe. Aber er wird bald besser.

Disclaimer: Full rights to _Howl's Moving Castle_ belong to Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli, and Diana Wynne Jones and her publisher. I fall into "none of the above."

P.S. The original Canadian Phantom of the Opera is also Jean Valjean in the video of _Les Miserables_! And Hugh Panaro is a god!

Geez, I should just get a blog or something. I talk too much.

I will respond to reviews and clarify some things that I just found out after the chapter.

Kapitel Zwei

In Which There Are a Number of Awkward Moments

(First revision)

"Are you gonna marry Sophie?"

Howl nearly spat his mouthful of tea back into the mug, and proceeded to choke as Markl set his chin on his hands on the kitchen table. Howl had been working out a particularly tough spell for a customer while Sophie, the witch, and Heen finished hanging the laundry in the courtyard outside.

"I just wondered," he said, trying to look innocent as Howl coughed.

"That's okay," he said, wheezing a little as he slid his mug away from the paper. "Just caught me off-guard, is all." He looked at Markl closely for a moment. "Why don't you go outside and see if they need any help."

"You're not going to answer my question."

"Exactly."

"Why?"

"Because I don't feel like it."

"Come on, Howl."

"I said no and I mean no. Go help your grandmother."

"She's not my grandmother and you know it," he said, pouting. "Admit it. You're in love with her."

"Fine," Howl said, dropping his pen into the inkwell and crossing his arms defensively over his chest. "I'm in love with Sophie. Happy now?"

"You still didn't answer my first question."

Howl rolled his eyes with an exasperated sigh. "Would you like it if I married her?"

Markl nearly jumped with excitement. "Of course! That would be so great!"

An evil smile planted itself on Howl's face. "Then I won't!"

"Howl!"

The wizard chuckled and turned back to his spell. "That's life, kid. Take it or leave it."

"You're lying!"

"Now, why would I lie?" He ticked something off on his fingers, then wrote it down on the parchment.

The scratching of the quill was like an unspoken taunt to Markl. More than anything, he wished that Howl could settle down a little. Sophie was having that effect on him already, but all the same, wouldn't it be nice to have a real family? Of course, it would be dysfunctional by virtue of their already strange relationships, but Markl hoped that with time Howl and Sophie would become like parents to him. Howl had taken him in when he was very, very young, providing, in his usual disconnected manner, the home that he had never really had before. In that way, Markl had always seen him as a sort of father, though Howl preferred to be known as a mentor or, even better, "boss." Markl stood silently, staring at the older man.

"Fine," Howl finally ceded, growing weary of his audience. "I'm going to ask her. Eventually. But she might say no, so don't go getting your hopes up. And," he added quickly, turning and fixing the boy with his bright blue stare, "if you say even _one word_ to her, I'll … I don't know, but it won't be pretty."

"Howl!"

They both whipped around to see Sophie come in through the back door, the witch and Heen right behind her.

"Sophie!" Howl sputtered, turning half a dozen shades of red and pink in a split second.

"Did I just hear you threatening Markl?" she asked, fists on her hips as she gazed coolly at him.

"Um … no?"

She rolled her eyes and batted the back of his head as she walked past. "Be nice."

He slumped back in his chair when she went into her room, willing his wildly beating heart to be still. Was that really all she had heard?

"You should go ask her now," Markl said in a stage whisper.

"What? No!"

"What's all this?" asked the witch.

"Nothing!" he growled, standing up from the table and grabbing his things. "Can't I even work around here without being harassed?"

Sophie stepped out of her bedroom in time to see him turn the corner at the top of the stairs. "What just happened?"

Markl shrugged innocently, and the witch looked as oblivious as ever. Sophie decided she should just leave well enough alone. She was beginning to get used to Howl's moods, and this one seemed relatively harmless. He would be fine in an hour or so, she figured.

-----#&#-----

Three hours passed, and Sophie began to worry. Howl hadn't pulled a stunt like this since before his curse was broken, which was now nearly a month in the past. In reality, she had been amazed by his marked transition as soon as he got his heart back. Many of his childish behaviors had simply disappeared, and the charming ones that remained seemed to be a product of his own selection, rather than facets of his personality that he had no control over. To put it simply, he had suddenly become a man, and Sophie was more in love with him than ever.

Which was why this behavior worried her so. She crept upstairs, and from outside his room she heard him grumbling softly. "Howl?" she said, pushing the door open.

He whipped around, upsetting half the things on his desk with a loud crash. It never failed to amaze her how quickly he had managed to resurrect so much junk from the old castle's ruins, but she still winced, thinking of the mess that would grow in there if he never let her clean it up.

Howl looked around, startled. "Wooh. Okay. It's just you."

"Of course it's just me. Who else would it be?"

"That pest Markl, come to bother me again." His eyebrow twitched angrily.

"Are you all right?" Sophie asked, stepping cautiously towards him.

"Yes, yes!" he insisted, backing up into his desk again and sending more things to their doom in his haste.

She walked softly around the bed to stand right in front of him, stopping when his bony knees poked her stomach. "What are you hiding?"

"Hiding? Me? Nothing! Why … why would you say such a thing?"

She narrowed her brown eyes at him. "You've got your hands behind your back."

"Oh! That. Uh, yeah. I'm just, you know, relaxing." He leaned back a little and crossed his legs. "Yup. Just relaxing on my desk."

"You're _such_ a horrible liar." She sat lightly on the edge of his bed, facing him. "What's going on? I saw you come storming up here three hours ago; I figured you'd be done brooding by now."

His face pinked slightly. "I'm not _brooding_. I'm doing work."

"Then you won't mind showing me what you're working on."

"It's just a dumb spell," he said lightly, trying to brush the topic away.

"Oh, really?" She got up and jumped to his side, trying to peer around him.

"Aaugh! No!" He slid off the desk, and yet more things fell to the floor. He freed his right arm and used it to try to fend her off.

"Come on, Howl!" she laughed. "Just let me see it!"

She lunged at him, and squealed when he intercepted her and they both fell onto the bed, his body pressing her into the soft linens.

For a long moment they just stared at each other, their faces only a breath apart, brown and blue eyes locked on one another. Almost without thinking, Howl lowered his head and gently touched his lips to hers.

The door burst open. "Intervention!" called Markl and the witch joyfully, and the lovers sprang apart.

"Damn, you guys!" Howl cursed, trying vainly to regain his composure, though he was plastered against the wall opposite Sophie. "What the hell was that? You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Kids like you shouldn't be alone together!" the witch explained gleefully, and Heen wheezed in agreement and wagged his tail happily.

Ende Kapitel Zwei

A/N: WOW! Huge thanks to all my reviewers! I hope you keep reading and reviewing – a lot of you had really great stuff to say. Attic Cat: I very nearly did the same! Lupa Wolfe: It feels … kinda strange. I don't have anywhere to go for inspiration except the new 2nd fic in the category by Crystal56 (go read it!). And you weren't actually the first reviewer, it takes a while to post. Sorry! Andrea is cute: Yeah, it is vastly different from the book, or so I've read from various sources. But I like it anyways and Diana Wynne Jones approves. Crystal56: … gurl, what can I say? Even what I mean to be one-shots end up having more chapters. So to answer your question … that was chapter two. We could dunk Howl in a vat of soap (or Pantene) if we end up dyeing his hair… Wolfariusorca: Thanx for the vote! So far the score is black 6, blonde 3, and red 2 (including me). Fairyskye: yeah, that was my fave part too! Plus that he's basically naked and is SUPER HOT! I love skinny guys. Viperthe strange: I've looked at a lot of animanga (for Inuyasha and Spirited Away, for instance), and I really don't like it. The pacing is really odd and the page compositions kinda off, I think. But I might make an exception for Howl's, just because Howl is SUPER HOT! A.B.: Ah, my fave review! As for the dialogue, I tried really hard to make it fit their new characters. I had the most trouble with Sophie, just because she's not exactly like modern 18-year-olds (being one, I know this). And Howl might seem a little OOC, but that's a deliberate choice on my part. HERE'S THE BIG EXPLANATION (courtesy of nausicaa (dot) net): Howl's curse was to be stuck with the mentality of a child – that is, mentally/emotionally be the age that he was when that happened. When he got it back, he was able to grow up. I try to reflect that in the way his character behaves now, but I did leave in some of the stuff he did before because I loved it so much. If this isn't what you meant, I encourage you to review again or email me, and I'll try to work it out. As for the castle … I was too much in shock from the kiss to pay much attention to the architecture. I figured they re-built it kinda like it was before, and I'm going with that for this story, just because the castle itself has so much character and I like it. So basically the same as the last one, only it flies now, I guess. Whatever. Maybe I'll do some concept sketches. It's not vitally important to me.

To all reviewers: please write legibly … pweez? I get huge headaches if I have to strain my eyes tO rEaD sTuFf LiKe ThIs!

So yeah, I found out the bit about Howl's curse from nausicaa (dot) net (sorry if you knew it already, I'm a little slow on stuff like that sometimes), and then I went to Disney's site for the movie (which is very good) and read all about the characters and recorded their music that plays for it (very, very cool – it's a 30-second track that loops). Go to the Disney web site and link through (something like) entertainment, movies, _Howl's Moving Castle_. I just googled "Howl's Moving Castle" and it was the fourth or fifth link. (Revision: It's www (dot) disney (dot) com (slash) castle, and it takes a while to load.)

P.S. To record the music, I have a program called Audacity, which is freeware (and thus totally beats shareware and works like a dream). And it's a good waveform-editing program, far better than our old unregistered version of CoolEdit 96, and if you mention it in the same sentence with WaveTrim, you'd better watch out. My brother (the beta) downloaded it from somewhere, and it can record anything playing in your computer. If you're a huge geek like me, you should go get it. Because of it, I now have all sorts of TV-length Inuyasha songs (which I adore!).

Now playing: "1985" by Bowling for Soup who played a LIVE acoustic set at Waukesha County's "Taste of Summer" festival! It wasn't meant to be acoustic, but it started to rain (I mean, really rain) so they had to move everything inside and … well, you know how strange stuff like that always works out. This one guy in the audience shouted "you suck" so they spent a while telling him they hope the next jelly doughnut he bites into has a string hanging out, or they hope his penis falls off or shrinks when he leaves. Anyways … WOOH! Can you beat $7 for that? I think not! And we saw the Raspberries, too.

Now playing: "Gauze - Mode of Adam" by Dir En Grey. They rock.


	3. In Which Things Are Finally Set Straight

Starlight

By Lady Mac

Author's Note: Well, this time I don't have too much to say. I guess just an apology for everyone who's reading "Hitori" or "UICPYF," since those are gonna be on hold until my Howl-mania subsides.

Now playing: "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" from _Kiss Me, Kate_. It's the never-ending song! Aaah! Run! But I got me a white shirt for pit, since they're gonna give us little bow ties because we will actually be seen at one point. And I got a cutie black skirt and wicked shoes. And a blue plaid mouse pad.

"So if it's Christmas Day, and I want pork chops, and it's 4 A.M., I can have them?"

Homer Simpson

"The ESC key was widely used in DOS, but now Windows crashes if you press it."

Pete the Beta

For Crystal56: _P.I. _grammar beta progress: 5 percent complete.

****

WARNING: Lime alert! I won't make it a lemon, because with as few stories as there are in this category, I'm sure to get booted for it. I GAVE YOU FAIR WARNING! If you don't want to read it, stop when I describe "his deep black hair moving softly with the breeze."

Please also note the accompanying rating change!

Disclaimer: All of the proper nouns contained herein, as well as several common nouns and verbs, are property of Studio Ghibli and Buena Vista Entertainment.

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Chapter Three

In Which Things Are Finally Set Straight

(First revision)

Sophie and Howl both relaxed with a sigh when Markl announced that he was going to bed. Apparently, the need for sleep trumped his new decision that they shouldn't be alone together. And frankly, Howl was glad that his apprentice was still so young. He had followed them around every day since the incident in Howl's bedroom – which was nearly a week ago, Howl noted. It had been immensely irritating, and this was the first time since then that he had been alone with Sophie. Although, he realized, they weren't really alone, since Calcifer was in his perpetual spot in the hearth, and the Witch was in her bed in the corner. But both were asleep, and would likely pay them little to no attention.

When Markl's footsteps faded out, Howl sat back and smiled at the young woman who sat beside him on the green couch near the low fire. "You look positively beautiful this evening," he remarked.

She smiled, and the firelight illuminated the gentle curves of her face. "Thank you. You look very nice, too."

"You know, Sophie," he said, leaning forward and setting his chin on his hand, "you've lived here for a while now, and … well, I'm sure you noticed that things between us aren't exactly the same as when you first got here."

She tipped her head in agreement, wondering what he was getting at.

"I'm happy with the changes that have been going on," he continued. "But there is one thing that … how can I put this? There's on very major change that might take a little forcing, and I want to do that now." He stood up and offered her his hand.

She accepted without hesitation, and he led her down to the door and out into the warm night. "Where are we going?"

"Nowhere special," he said, pulling her close as they strolled through the meadow. "I just wanted to get out for a little bit."

"Now you're confusing me," she laughed.

"Ah, confusion!" He broke free of her and ran ahead in the long grass, his long arms extended and his dark hair blowing around his face. "It makes me feel so alive!" His rich voice echoed only slightly in the openness, and Sophie laughed as she ran to catch him. "Isn't this wonderful?" he enthused, his bright blue eyes sparkling in the low light from the thin crescent moon and stars.

"Yes!" she agreed. "But you're not making any sense, Howl!"

"Oh, Sophie, isn't it obvious?" He fell on both knees in front of her and, wrapping his arms around her slender waist, stared up at her radiant face.

She shook her head slowly, not even trying to rid her face of the grin that had made itself at home when he started shouting. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Sophie, Sophie, my darling girl!" He sat back on his heels, and took her hands in his. "I want you to marry me!"

Time froze, and the clockwork of the universe moved around them. "I …"

"Will you? Please?" He was nearly begging.

The warmth of his hands suddenly penetrated her, flowing from her fingertips into her whole body, melting the last shards of loneliness in her heart. "I … oh, Howl! Yes!"

Before she could react, he had thrown his arms around her and lifted her off the ground. "Howl! What are you doing?" she cried in gleeful terror as he spun her around, both of them careening down the hill away from the castle.

"I can't help it!" he laughed. "I've never been happier in my whole life!"

Their lips touched with an explosion of fire, and they fell to the ground, rolling over and over each other, consumed by passion.

Finally, Howl broke the kiss, leaving her gasping, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. "Sophie," he panted.

"Howl …"

He was lying on top of her in the tall grasses, his deep black hair moving softly with the breeze. His cheeks were flushed, and the sight of him and the weight of his body were flooding her with emotions she couldn't place. "Sophie, I … I wanted to wait longer for this, but … God, I really want you. I mean, really, _really_ want you."

Her heart jumped inside its cage. This was very strange indeed. "You … what? What do you mean?"

"Sophie." His face was almost pained as he looked down at her, gently touched his fingertips to her cheek. "I … I need to touch you. To touch your body."

"My body?"

He shifted then, and when something firm poked her in the belly, the strange feelings exploded all over again. He seemed to sense it. "You're feeling what I feel," he insisted, and she believed him. "This is _lust_, Sophie. Carnal desire."

Her eyes widened. "But … but that's a deadly sin!"

He shook his head. "No. Not always. When it follows love, it can be wonderful, beautiful. Magical." She seemed to understand, her fears assuaged. "I want to have that with you, Sophie."

Surprise registered on her delicate features. "What? You mean now?"

"Yes," he purred, coming suddenly down on her and ravishing her mouth. She clung to him in the madness as he pulled her dress open, letting go only when he stripped it from her upper body, exposing her flawless flesh to the moonlight.

"Howl, wait."

His hands paused in their exploration of her figure, and he looked at her.

"We … we can't do this out here," she insisted.

"You're right," he agreed after a long pause. He lifted her in his arms as soon as she had slipped her sleeves back on, and in a moment they were soaring through the air towards the castle. His hand was warm on her bare back, and she laughed as she clung to his neck. He came to rest on the railing of a balcony, and set her gently down before stepping off himself. He smiled as he pushed the door open, and escorted her into his bedroom with his hand on the small of her back.

"Before we … uh …" He stopped, blushing. "Before things get crazy, I want to give this to you." He stepped briefly to his desk, and when he turned around he held a small, silver ring.

"Oh, Howl, it's beautiful!" she whispered. The three stones set in it sparkled as he slipped it on her finger – the startling blue stone in the center perfectly matched his eyes, and the smaller black ones on either side had the same dark luster as his hair.

"There's a protection spell on it," he explained, still holding her hand as they both admired the jewelry. "The most powerful one I could manage, and that's considerable, if I do say so myself. And it will show you wherever I am, or Calcifer. Just like the one I gave you before. Try it."

Smiling, she stepped back, and reached for him with her heart. A blue beam, as intense as laser light, shot from the center stone, landing in a tiny, precise circle on his left chest. "Looks like it works perfectly," she said, and he moved to her again, then lifted her and set her gently on his bed. She sank into the lush, soft mattress, and he climbed up on top of her, staring down into her eyes in the low light.

"You sure about this?" he asked softly, his voice deep and husky.

She sat up slowly, then pulled his shirt over his head. "Yes," she said, kissing him hotly but quickly. His body was even more beautiful than she remembered, his lightly-tanned skin radiant and vibrantly alive. But the waist of his pants was maddeningly high, obscuring everything below his navel. She quickly unfastened them, and he slid them quickly off his hips before removing them with his shoes, seemingly as one. They hit the floor, and he knelt before wearing nothing but his skin and a pair of dark grey shorts that couldn't hide his arousal.

"Now this is kind of unfair," he said, his eyes deep and dark as they watched her. "We've got to get that off you."

"Be my guest," she whispered, and before she even knew he had moved, the dress was gone and he was pressed against her, kissing her with an intensity she hadn't known was possible. "My … my shoes …"

But he couldn't stop touching her, so she undid the laces herself, and managed to get her boots and stockings off just as he was beginning to pull desperately at her bloomers. She untied them quickly, and moments later he had claimed her, completely and undeniably, forever.

__

Ende Kapitel Drei

Author's Note: Wooh-yeah! Great reviews! I so heart you all! Now time to answer some questions or share funny (kind of) anecdotes:

Actually, I kinda accidentally deleted all the reviews off this computer. Oops. But they're still on the worldwide inter-webber-net. All I remember is yes, that was German, congrats on anyone who can read it! For those who don't know German, I recommend babelfish (dot) AltaVista (dot) com. And they have this cute little yellow fish mascot.

Now playing in iTunes: "Hey Jude" by the Beatles.


	4. In Which Howl Decides to Get New Dishes

Starlight

By Lady Mac

A/N: So I read the book of _Howl's Moving Castle_, and it _is_ very different from the movie, but it's quite good all the same. Funny note: in the book, Markl is _Michael_. Doesn't that make more sense? It must have gotten lost in the translation.

I saw it again! Yay! This time I made my boyfriend (v2k3) go with me, and he liked it, too. Though he says he doesn't like it more than _Spirited Away_, which is one of his favorite films, along with _The Breakfast Club_. But he did say he liked it, and it gave him warm fuzzies. But he complained that the resolution was kinda forced: "Hi! I'm the prince who was missing! You probably didn't even hear that at the beginning! What a wonderful coincidence that I showed up after 2 hours of movie! Okay, live happily ever after now!" And I agree, but it's still my favorite movie of all the time because I loved every 1/12 of a second of it, both times! But I'd be a little happier if I'd had a school ID so I could've gotten in for 7 bucks instead of $8.50. But oh well. It all makes a lot more sense in the book, but to make the movie that way would have involved changing a lot of character stuff regarding Howl, and completely removing Madame Suliman (who is not in the book).

****

Also note: You may have noticed already, but chapters one, two, AND three have undergone MAJOR revisions since I saw the movie a second time and picked up some more details. **Please reread them! **They're not too long, and it will probably factor in to future chapters.

And a note for people who missed it before: THIS IS COMPLETE AND UTTER FLUFF! Any plot is filler and kinda unintentional. Fluff is my lifeblood. It's too bad I can't sell it; I've got so much. :grin:

For Crystal56: _P.I. _progress: 15 percent complete! I'm ahead of schedule! OMG, why was chapter 3 so LONG?

Special note: I have no idea where this chapter is going. I'm just kinda jumping in with both feet. So tell me if it sucks, please.

Now playing in iTunes: "One Night in Bangkok" from the soundtrack from _Chess_.

Quote from Pete the Beta: Smokers get plenty of tar. We just need to add feathers.

And "How do you spell Ph. D.?"

Exciting UWAY-related findings: "Faggott" is Italian for "a bundle of sticks." Also German for "bassoon," from the same Italian root. So a bassoon is a bundle of sticks, and so is the poor kid you called a fag.

"Mommy-daddy! I'm scary!"

"I know." _xX pats on head Xx_

Just a little warning: Howl is kind of horny again, but no lime or anything. Just humor.

Location notes (gleaned from the book): Market Chipping is Sophie's town, Porthaven is the one with the docks, and Kingsbury is where the palace is. Yes, it's relevant to the story.

Okay, enough. On to the story!

Disclaimer: Fine, I confess: I have Howl locked in a magic-proof closet, and I kidnapped Sophie and stole her soul. He's MINE, I tell you! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! XD

__

Kapitel Vier

In Which Howl Decides to Get New Dishes

Sophie woke slowly as the room gradually grew brighter. She blinked slowly, trying to clear the cobwebs from her mind and figure out where she was. The large, warm mass in the bed beside her moved slightly and sighed, and all the memories from the night before came flooding back. She had given herself to Howl, and he had given her all he had in return. And now his face was nestled in the crook of her shoulder, and his left arm lay across her belly under the sheets. He snored softly as she slipped out of bed, but didn't wake.

Sophie dressed in her petticoats and one of his shirts – which was far too large – then went downstairs to start breakfast.

No one else was awake but Calcifer, and she talked to him quietly as she prepared cinnamon toast, a cheese omelet, and a pot of tea.

"That for Howl?" he asked, peering up at her from under the frying pan.

"Who else?" she asked, smiling.

Calcifer snatched a glance at her ring. "Ooh. He managed to propose to you first, then."

She blushed. He had obviously caught on to what had happened. "Yes."

"Powerful spell on that ring," he said as she lifted the frying pan away to make up two plates. "I think that's the strongest one I've ever seen him do as a lasting protection. It probably took him a long time to get that ready."

"You think that's what he was hiding from me before?" She put the two plates and cups on a tray.

"Oh, for sure. Enjoy your breakfast."

She smiled at him as she climbed the stairs. "Thank you!"

Howl grunted sleepily when she opened the curtains in his room. "Time to wake up," she said cheerfully. "I brought you breakfast!"

"Huh?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. "I wha?"

She plopped next to him on the bed and kissed him quickly. "Breakfast, silly."

He seemed to wake up a little more as he looked at her. "Wha … what are you wearing?"

"One of your shirts." She held out her arms, and he looked at her strangely. "What do you think?"

He snorted in amusement. "Whatever. I smell food."

She laughed as she fetched the tray from the corner of his desk and set it on the bed, then climbed up beside him. "Bon appetit!"

"Bon appetit," he agreed, raising his teacup to his lips. "Oh, this is divine."

"Thank you," she said, smiling as she watched him tuck into the omelet.

"I didn't mean the food, really," he said, his voice muffled by egg. "More like the whole breakfast in bed with you. You don't know how long I've been waiting for this."

"How long?"

He chuckled at her playful question. "Since … well, you remember the first time I moved the castle, right? And I got you the new portal, and the room and the shop and all the new clothes. Well …" He tapped his chin with the side of his fork. "I think I've been in love with you since … well, the first time I saw you in that alley. But I'd only decided to devote myself to you right before we moved the castle. Of course, I couldn't really _love_ you until I had my heart back, but by that time it was a no-brainer. " They ate in silence for a while, reminiscing. "How about you?" he finally asked.

"Me?" Sophie said. "What about me?"

"When did you fall in love with me? Or dare I even ask?"

She laughed gently. "Well, it certainly wasn't until after your hair color fiasco. Or … well, I'm not really sure. Because as soon as I came up here with the milk I was certainly in love, but before that I was far too annoyed to notice."

Howl snorted, trying to contain his laughter. "What luck that you stayed! I don't know what I would have done. I think I might actually have died, if you hadn't come back."

She grinned up at him. "You're so sweet."

He licked the food off his lips, then leaned in and kissed her.

"Yuck!" she said, laughing as she pushed him away. "Your lips are all slimy!"

"Sorry," he said grumpily, turning back to his breakfast and attacking it crossly.

"Oh, come on," she said, touching his shoulder in an attempt to make him look at her.

He shook his head, keeping his back turned.

Sophie sighed loudly. "You're being such a child."

In the time it took her to blink, he had pinned her beneath him. "I'm not really a child, am I, Sophie?" He grinned suggestively, and when she smiled back he came down on her, kissing her furiously. Their limbs tangled together and they promptly forgot about the dishes.

-----#&#-----

Markl and the Witch were eating bread and butter when Sophie and Howl came downstairs later with their dishes, which had sustained a bit of damage. One – Howl swore it was a mug – was shattered beyond recognition.

"What happened?" Markl asked, astounded.

"None of your business," Howl answered, putting the intact plates and teacup in the sink.

"Calcifer said we shouldn't disturb you because you were having breakfast in bed."

"That was very wise of him," Sophie said, going to help Howl with the dishes.

"So why are the dishes all broken?"

"They're not _all_ broken," she said, looking at the bits of china in the sink that Howl was scrubbing furiously at. "Just a plate and a mug."

"They were done for, anyhow," Howl said, plucking one out of the suds and handing it to Sophie to dry. "We've needed new dishes for … what? Several years? Since before you got here. And silverware, too."

"I'm sure my mother would love to give us new china and silver," Sophie said. "She's recently married again, you know, to a rich man named Smith."

"I remember your mother," said the Witch. "She brought that spy-bug and the wonderful cigar."

"That was a horrible cigar! At least you could have taken it outside."

"I'll say the same thing I said last time, young lady. Don't deny an old witch her pleasures."

Sophie rolled her eyes as she put away the last plate, and Howl dried his hands on a dish towel. "Oh, by the way, Markl, she said yes."

"What!" he squeaked, jumping up. "You asked her and you didn't tell me?"

"I don't need your permission," he said, patting his apprentice on the head as he walked past. He threw open the double doors to the yard and inhaled deeply. "It's beautiful outside!" he called, stepping out into the fresh air. "Come on, Sophie!" He grabbed her hand and a piece of paper and pulled her outside. "Let's go plan our wedding!"

He flopped on his stomach in the grass, and Sophie let herself down gently in front of him. "Okay," he said. "Let's get started. So … pick a day."

She thought for a moment. "Midsummer's Eve."

He raised his dark eyebrows. "So soon? That only gives us a week and a half."

"It should be fine," she said, lacing her fingers together around her knees. "I don't want anything extravagant. What's the simplest thing we could do?"

He thought for a moment. "We could just do it out here, if there aren't many guests."

"I like that idea."

"Only thing is, if it's not in a church, I don't know who we can get to officiate."

"What about Madame Suliman?"

"Yeah, right," he snorted. "If she's gotten over all the crap I did, which she hasn't."

"There's a nice little chapel in Market Chipping," Sophie said. "We could have it there, and then no one would be angry that it wasn't in a church."

"Market Chipping is fine, then," he said, writing it down. "All your family is there, right?"

"My mother and my sister," she said with a nod. "Is there anyone you'd like to invite?"

He rolled over on his back and stared at the sky. "Well … Madame Suliman, if she'd come. Which I doubt."

"What about your family?"

He shook his head. "Haven't heard from them for years. I don't even really know where they are. And it's only my sister and her family now, anyways. I'm not sure they'd _want_ to come. I've kind of blackened my name over the years, and I don't know how willing they'd be to believe I changed."

"I think we should invite them," Sophie said. "Isn't there a spell you can use to find them?"

"Yeah, but I don't really want to."

"Oh, buck up. You went to hers, didn't you?"

"Well, sure, but that was seven years ago, before I became all great and terrible. I was only nineteen then. And her kids have never met their Uncle Howl. I only know of them from the last letter she sent me, right after the second was born five years ago."

"Well, then they can get to know Uncle Howl and Aunt Sophie personally. If you don't invite them, I will."

"Fine." He reached above his head and wrote "Megan and family" on the paper, though it came out chicken-scratchy and barely legible. "But I don't know where they are, and they might not be able to come."

"That's fine. At least they'll know we're thinking of them." She plucked the quill from his idle fingers and wrote "Mother and Lettie" below Howl's scratches.

"And then," he said, stretching, "we can have our honeymoon at Meadowbrook."

"Meadowbrook?"

"You know, my old study. That's what I called it."

"I don't think we really need to plan that now. What about a dinner? Where will we do that?"

"Could do it here. With the kitchen and yard together, we should be able to fit everyone. What do we have, eight, nine maybe? Depends on how fruitful Megan's been."

"Plus Markl and the witch and you and me makes more than ten." She looked around, surveying their home. "We should fit all right."

"Good. So who will cook?"

"I will."

He rolled over onto his stomach again and looked at her squarely. "No, you won't. Not on your wedding day. I forbid it."

She smiled. "Okay. Well, Mother might do it. And Lettie's apprenticed at Cesari's Bakery, so we could go through her for all that."

"Cesari's," he mumbled, writing it down. "Okay. We can buy all the food, I just don't want you doing prep for your own party."

"Then you're not allowed to worry."

"What makes you think I will?" he asked, laughing.

She shrugged. "You're kind of a drama queen."

"I am not!"

"You threw a tantrum about your hair being red and nearly killed yourself."

"Ancient history."

"You freaked out at Markl about proposing to me."

"Also ancient history!"

She laughed. "Two weeks ago is ancient history now?"

"My dear, everything that happened before last night no longer counts. This is my life now, and I'm sticking with it."

"You're just full of sweetness today!" He stretched up for her, and she obligingly leaned down and kissed him.

"Eew!" cried Markl from inside. "Do that where I can't see you!"

They both giggled as they parted. "Well," said Sophie, "I know one benefit of being married so soon."

"If you mean what just happened, think again." He grinned at her. "That won't ever stop."

"No," she said, dropping her voice. "I know that won't happen. I meant if I get pregnant before then, no one will know. Though … it could be seen as a cover-up."

He shook his head. "Won't happen. Your ring protects you against that, too, as long as you're wearing it."

"Wow." She examined it closely, impressed. "So that's why you wanted to give it to me then."

"Right. And you know, as a man, that was a very difficult thing for me to do, to take the time to give it to you rather than simply having you right there."

She blushed. "That's horrid."

"No," he said, "it's perfectly typical. Take this morning, for example."

Sophie buried her burning face in her hands and didn't answer.

"I can't help it, you know," he said, rolling over and poking at her fingers from below. "I'm just so in love with you, I can't control myself."

She let go of her face and caught his hand. "Guess what?"

"What?"

She kissed his knuckles and smiled. "We have to go dress shopping."

__

Ende Kapitel Vier

Word count: 2083. My longest yet (in this story)! And that's not counting author's notes and so forth. I hope you liked this chapter! I've actually decided what the main point of this is going to be. The whole wedding and all is mostly exposition, but it should be fluffy and enjoyable. After that, some stuff is going to start to happen that is real meat-and-potatoes-type plot, but with a side of marshmallow fluff. Then probably an epilogue, since I've got a couple of half-cooked ideas I want to touch on. I don't know how long this will end up being, but I can see it going out to at least ten chapters, maybe more. Look forward to it!

Now playing in iTunes: Nothing. My dad has the stereo on while he reads on the porch, but I'm going to go practice my clarinet now.

Please review kindly! I know this chapter was nothing but fluff and a little setup .

Ja ne!


	5. In Which Many Arrangements Are Made

Starlight

By Lady Mac

For Crystal56: _P.I. _progress: 25 percent complete.

Content alert: More horniness, but nothing explicit. Enjoy!

Do you like pirates? Yes, you do. And you like humor, also. My brother (Pete the Beta) has a fiction press (dot) com account now, under the pen name TariCorp. He's writing a comic pirate saga that I'm sort of helping with, and it's really funny. Go check it out! It's called "Pirates of the Gulf Coast: Curse of the North Shore." We were gonna post it here on ff(dot)net, but it's not really a PotC fanfic. It's mostly original, though we "borrowed" two characters from real life (you'll know them; they're the two who join for weird reasons in the middle of chapter one.). It's funnier than _Chain Reaction_, and that's pretty funny! ("I think he's missing some cowboys from the reservation." WTF?)

Y'know who's gross? Lindsay Lohan. BLARGH! She's so skinny and blonde now, it's awful. _Mean Girls_ was pretty good, but now she's a diva who won't get over herself.

And you know who else I hate? Percival Lowell. He was such an un-scientific prick! I hate him and spit on his grave. We need to rename his observatory before millions of children are corrupted by the notion that Pluto is a planet. :shudder:

… I like deep-sky objects like M-13. My uncle rocks! He brought over his nice telescope (10-inch (or so) Newtonian – ours is a kinda-crappy 3-inch refractor) and we saw a bunch of double stars (like Alcor and Mizar, the double in the handle of the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) and Polaris), and a double-double, and a ring nebula and a barbell-shaped nebula and M-13, the Hercules globular cluster which is actually not within the disk of the galaxy (it's in the halo). And we saw the ISS for a minute (without the 'scope) before it went into the Earth's shadow, and I saw another satellite for a split second in the 'scope while I was looking at something else. It's really quite cool. But we missed the neat Mercury-Venus thing right after sunset because we can't see the western horizon from my house. (space weather (dot) com sends me a newsletter periodically! It's good for predicting major auroras.)

Celestia totally rocks. Go get it from www (dot) source forge (dot) net if you have even the slightest interest in astronomy. It has Cassini and Huygens and ISS and Hubble! But not Voyager or Voyager II or Galileo, since those are long gone and just drifting in interstellar space now.

Here's a funny parody-ish thing that is also kind of foreshadowing for plot to come (this isn't how it'll happen):

"Howl? Why are there feathers in my broom closet?"

"Oh, those? I … was kinda molting in there."

"Okay, why were you molting, and why in there?"

Pete helped me write that.

OMG, I got this totally cute bug-pillow-thing from Linens n' Things today! It's so adorable. It's squishy and fuzzy and orange and I wuvs it! And it's got these wacky antennae with little hearts on 'em that are SOO CUTE! I'm such a sucker fer cute stuf.

Now playing in iTunes: "Funkytown" by Lipps Inc. They're playing this for the halftime show next year with "Brick House" and "Can-tastic"! Yeah! Best show ever!

Ooh! Now it's "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles! One of my all-time favorite songs!

You may have noticed I've renamed all the chapters. This is because that's how the chapters in the book are titled (they all begin with "in which," except for one, "Which is far too full of washing."). I like it, so I'm doing it this way. It seems less cheesy, and I kinda feel like there's an excess of cheese in this story.

Disclaimer: Well, some crazy rabid fan girls came and stole Howl outta my closet by kicking the door in. But I've still got Sophie's soul, so he still loves ME even though they kidnapped him (sorry Mark)!

I'm thirsty… okay. I'm okay now.

__

Kapitel Fü nf

In Which Many Arrangements Are Made

Sophie woke up alone in her own bed on the morning of June 18th. She got slowly out of bed, stretching as she watched the rays of light come in through the windows above the work bench. It was the last time she would ever wake up to that particular view.

She dressed quickly, and packed her nightgown in the box with the rest of her clothing and other personal belongings before heading out to the kitchen to start breakfast.

"Morning, Calcifer."

"Hm? Oh. Morning, Sophie."

"Take your time waking up," she said, beginning to gather baking ingredients at the table. "I have to mix up the batter before I cook."

"What're you making?"

"Blueberry pancakes," she said, smiling. "And bacon, of course. I don't know how Howl manages to eat so much of it."

"He's always loved it, I suppose," Calcifer said, watching as she mixed dry ingredients together, then went to fetch milk, butter, and eggs from the pantry.

"We're low on milk," she said. "Make sure Markl buys more when he goes out today."

"Don't count on me to remember things."

At that moment, Howl came bursting down the stairs in a jovial mood. "Good morning, Calcifer! Good morning, Sophie!" He swept her up in his arms, ignoring her protests about the spoon being wet, and kissed her warmly before setting her back down. "I'm so excited! It's moving day!"

"What?" Calcifer said, obviously surprised. "Moving? Why in the world are you moving the castle?"

"Not the castle," Howl explained, filling the kettle with water and hanging it above the hearth. "My study. We're putting it in Sophie's room, and she's moving into my room."

"That's a relief," Calcifer said, flaring up brightly. "I was afraid we were doing major renovations."

"Nope. Just putting my little Sophie by my side, where she belongs."

Calcifer rolled his eyes. "You're so sweet it's disgusting." The wizard stuck out his tongue, but Calcifer ignored him. "All the same, you should be flattered, Sophie. You're the only one he's ever let in there."

"Is that so?" she said, moving to the hearth with her bowl of batter and a frying pan. "I'd have thought that our playboy would have brought home a fair number of conquests."

Howl turned bright red. "I never!" he sputtered. "I stole their _hearts_, never their purity! As a matter of fact, none of them ever even came in here before you. And that wasn't my idea."

"Set the table, dear," she said, laughing at how flustered he was. "Then go get Markl up. We'll be eating soon."

-----#&#-----

Sophie stood back with a sigh, finally able to admire her work. It had taken several hours, but the bedroom was now actually a livable space. Howl had moved hundreds of his books and baubles downstairs, and hundreds more had been thrown out. The end result was that you could walk across the floor without tripping on anything, and both bedside tables and the desk were clear of clutter. Sophie had allowed some decorations to stay, since she liked the mood they lent the room, and it looked far too empty without them. On the other hand, Howl's stuffed animals – which he had so lovingly recovered from the ruins – had been banished to the study downstairs. Unfortunately, the one thing the both wanted to remove – Howl's oath – had been entirely unwilling to come down off the wall, so they had to leave it up, voodoo doll, scissors, and all.

Additionally, she and Howl had gone through his closet and dresser, removing everything and submitting it to an intense interview process from which only half emerged unscathed. In the newly-freed space, Sophie was able to fit her entire wardrobe with room to spare. The sheer amount of clothes he possessed never failed to amaze her, but she loved him for it. How she saw it, at least one of them should have a fashion sense. And since it sure wasn't going to be her, she would let him keep being as beautiful – or vain, she thought quickly – as he pleased.

While Howl was putting his new study in order, she had been able to sneak in her wedding dress, with the help of the salesgirl at the bridal shop. She had hidden it in the back of their closet, behind Howl's four winter coats and ten pairs of wool trousers. The coats were, incidentally, just long enough to completely obscure the bright white lace.

She heard Howl come dancing up the stairs and pulled the door open for him. "It's finished!" she said. "What do you think?"

He stepped in cautiously and looked around. He could tell it was his room, but it looked very, very different. The windows and shades were wide open, bathing the room in bright natural light and airing out the slightly musty smell. He walked around, looking carefully at the walls. It surprised him how much of his stuff still remained. Hundreds of books were packed neatly into the bookshelves, and she had even made an effort to alphabetize the ones with titles.

Sophie wrung her hands. "You don't like it."

"No, no, I do," he insisted. "It's just very different. It'll take a little getting used to." He smiled at her, then scooped her up and dumped her playfully on the bed. "It's nice. I like it."

His kisses forced her into the mattress, and she giggled as she tried to escape. "H … Howl! Come on! We don't … have time for this!" She squeaked as he caught her around the waist and pressed kisses down the exposed part of her chest. "I mean it," she said breathlessly. "I have a lot of work to do."

"Oh, come on," he purred, firmly grinding his hips between her legs. "Let's have some fun, to celebrate." He pulled her skirt up, and rubbed her through her underwear with a pair of fingers.

She gasped at the sudden touch. "Howl, no … we … the door's open!"

He released her quickly, and she stood up, straightening her clothes. "There will be plenty of time for that later," she said. "I bet you're hungry. Let's go have lunch."

-----#&#-----

After they had eaten, Howl went back to setting up his study, and Sophie got to work on the dishes while Markl went out grocery shopping for her. She admired her ring while she worked, watching it as the suds fell away and it emerged from the dish water clean and sparkling. "Aren't you a lovely thing," she said to it. "I imagine Howl's put all sorts of spells on you that I'll never know about." It seemed to sparkle in agreement. "Well," she continued, half to herself, and half believing that the ring was actually listening, "I doubt he put a cleanliness spell on you, though. He's not exactly the type to think of something like that. So as his cleaning lady, I'm going to have to order you to always stay clean like this. Because who knows what kind of cleaning this house is going to need in the future, and I may not have time for you!"

She dried her hands, then put the dishes away. Just as she was finishing, Howl stepped out of his new study. "Do you always talk to yourself?" he asked, drawing himself a glass of water from the tap.

"Not to myself," she countered. "Just inanimate objects. Like when I used to work at the hat shop, I would talk to the hats while I made them, telling them who would buy them, and so on. Just something I do to combat boredom."

"It sounds almost like placing spells, to me," Howl said, taking a long drink.

She shook her head. "You've got the wrong girl. There's no magic in me."

"I think you'd be surprised." Smiling, Howl took her in his arms, but a loud knocking interrupted their moment. "Market Chipping door," Calcifer said.

Howl and Sophie looked at each other. "Well, it's not Markl," Sophie defended. "He doesn't knock."

Howl shrugged, then went down and opened the door. A woman in a salmon-colored dress with curly blond hair and bright blue eyes drew back a little in surprise at the sight of the tall, dark-haired man who stood before her. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"Um, yes," she said, obviously nervous. "I'm looking for … I mean, are you Mr. Jenkins?"

The voice suddenly tripped a memory in Sophie's mind. She rushed to the top of the stairs. "Mother!"

The woman's entire face brightened. "Sophie!"

She rushed down and brushed past Howl to embrace her. "Mother! Oh, it's so wonderful to see you!"

"And you!" she said. "You've changed so much! You look lovely, Sophie." She smoothed her silvery hair. "This is a very interesting color, though. How did you come by it?"

"It just stayed after my curse was broken, I suppose." She suddenly remembered the man standing behind her. "Oh! I'm so sorry, I'm being rude. Mother, this is Howl, my fiancee."

He caught her hand and kissed it. "A pleasure to meet you, madame."

"Oh, my!" she said, blushing. "Such a gentleman. I can see how you got your reputation."

"Well, my skirt-chasing days are over," he said, squeezing Sophie's shoulder. "Would you like to come inside?"

"Oh, no thank you. I don't want to impose. I just stopped by to see if all of this was really true! And since it is, I'd be delighted to attend the wedding. Oh, and I was wondering if you still had the old shop. Are you going to do anything with it?"

Sophie nodded. "We're going to open a flower shop after we're married. It should be a lucrative business venture, I think."

"Oh, that will be perfect for you. You always did have an eye for design; the hats you made were always so wonderful."

Sophie shifted uncomfortably, not wishing to relive her boring days in the hat shop. "By the way, Mother … um, we're not meaning to be a nuisance or anything, but would you be interested in cooking for our wedding?"

Her face lit up. "Would I! I'd be positively thrilled! What were you planning on having?"

"Nothing fancy," Sophie said quickly. "Just a salad and a main course, maybe some hors d'oeuvres, and we'd get the cake from Cesari's."

"Well," said Mrs. Smith, checking a watch that hung from her handbag, "if you'd like to sit down and get it all figured out now, I have some time."

Sophie looked at Howl, who shrugged noncommittally. "It's your kitchen."

For the next hour, Howl watched amusedly as Sophie and her mother discussed every possible food that they could serve, and finally decided on fruit-and-spinach salad, and smoked salmon with mashed potatoes and asparagus for the entrée. But she refused to let the "couple of the moment" buy all the food, and insisted that she would bring some stuffed mushroom caps that the guests could eat while she was making everything else.

Sophie's mother glanced at her watch just as they finished hashing out the shopping list, and jumped up in alarm. "Oh, my! I'm so sorry, but I have to get going, I said I'd be back forty minutes ago!" She gave Sophie a quick kiss and waved to Howl as she bustled out the door, presumably to the car that had been waiting all that time.

"Interesting woman, your mother," Howl said, closing the door behind her.

Sophie nodded. "She is, isn't she? But she's so wonderful."

He looked at the list in her hand. "That doesn't look like much food."

"But there'll be a lot of it. I'll have to go buy this to make sure there's enough, but I'll probably need at least one helper to carry it."

"Don't look at me," he said, backing away. "I've got work to do, and you usually take Markl, anyhow."

"Oh, grow up," she laughed. "It's not a big deal. Then you can help pick out our cake, too. And anyways, we won't go today."

"Good," he said, catching her around the waist and planting a kiss on her lips. "Now where were we?"

She grinned. "Just like this, if I recall properly."

"Right." He kissed her again. "And now I'm going to show you my new study."

They hadn't emerged when Markl returned with the groceries, so he put them quickly away and amused himself by working on noisy spells at the kitchen table.

__

Ende Kapitel Fü nf

Well, I hope you enjoyed that chapter! It kind of took me a while since it slowed down at the end. But chapter six is forthcoming, and that should be pretty long. Look forward to it!

Word count: 2099, not including Author's Notes. Wooh-yeah! That's sixteen more than last chapter!


	6. Epilogue

Starlight

By Lady Mac

A/N: Here's the deal, kiddos: I haven't written a word since September. sorry 'bout that. And I keep getting lots of reviews begging me to update, and the fact of the matter is that between physics, calculus, and pep band I barely have time to eat, sleep, and spend time with my boyfriend.

So what I'm going to do is post the EPILOGUE to "Starlight" that I wrote way back when and maybe over the summer I'll be able to finish the chapters in between.

WARNING: THIS IS THE EPILOGUE! If you care a lot about continuity, DON'T READ IT NOW! I'm mostly only posting to prove to you that I'm not dead and have a way to promise you more later without actually having to do any work or get yelled at by the admins.

Mood: physicsphysicsphysics

Listening to: Mozart's _Requiem_

_Epilogue_

_October 3_

"Congratulations!" the midwife finally said, easing the tiny body free from its mother. "Sophie, Mr. Wizard, you have a son."

Sophie fell back on the pillows, exhausted. "Did you hear that?" Howl asked excitedly, stroking her sweat-dampened hair. "It's a boy, Sophie! We have a son!"

She nodded vaguely, still breathing hard and not daring to open her eyes. He smiled and kissed her on the forehead.

A robust cry rang out in the warm room, and a chuckle escaped Sophie's tired body. "Would you like to hold him?" the midwife asked, standing beside the couple with a squirming bundle in her arms.

Smiling, Sophie managed to open her eyes. "Yes." She received the child gently and brought him to rest on her body. He looked up at her with bright blue eyes and reached his tiny hands up towards her face. She allowed him to catch her finger in his tiny fist, and he looked in wonder at his parents as they held and touched him gently. But amongst all these fascinating things, his little body was telling him that he needed something else, too.

He stuck Sophie's finger in his toothless mouth, then began to cry.

"He's hungry," Howl said. "He wants to be fed! Look at him sucking on your finger! It's so cute …"

Sophie smiled as she unbuttoned her top and offered one breast to the baby. He was tentative at first, but quickly began suckling eagerly. Sophie giggled a little. "It kind of tickles." She looked up at her husband, and he kissed her gently.

The midwife came back into the room then, drying her hands on her apron. "Your fire just talked to me," she said.

Howl laughed. "Oh, that's just Calcifer. He's probably feeling kind of left out."

"Well, it doesn't really matter," she said, shaking off the weirdness and looking at Sophie. "Seems like he's doing fine. Have you thought of a name for him?"

They both looked down at the baby, and Howl brushed the soft, thin hair that covered his head. "We said Adam or Chase if it was a boy. I kind of like Chase."

"Me, too," agreed Sophie, smiling contentedly at the baby in her arms. "And his middle name can be Adam. Chase Adam Jenkins."

-----#&#-----

It was January when Chase was three when Howl came tearing down the stairs in the middle of the night, dressed in nothing but his night shirt and one slipper, and burst out into the cold to get the midwife as quickly as possible.

Around nine the next morning Chase was sitting in the kitchen with Markl, roasting marshmallows over Calcifer, when Howl came down the stairs again. He was flushed and sweaty, despite the winter chill, but looked very, very happy.

"Daddy!" Chase ran to him and embraced his legs.

"How are ya, kid?" he asked, stroking his jet-black hair out of his round face as he moved to sit at the hearth.

"Good!" he said. "Me an' Markl an' Calcifer were makin' marshellows."

"I can see that," Howl said, smiling as he wiped some stickiness off his son's mouth. "Well, I came down to tell you boys that you have a little sister now."

"Really?" they exclaimed together.

Howl chuckled. Even at thirteen, Markl was still the boy he had taken in all those years ago, and his son was turning out just like "Daddy's 'prentice," who graciously baby-sat him while Howl and Sophie were busy. "Yes, really. Her name's Amy Lynn. And if you're quiet, you can go up and see her and Mommy now."

"Why if we're quiet?" Chase asked.

"Mommy's very tired," Howl explained. "She doesn't want any loud noises, and she's going to go to sleep soon."

"Why is Mommy tired?" Chase whispered, holding his father's hand as the three of them traipsed up the stairs.

"Do you remember when you felt the baby inside Mommy's belly?" Howl asked, and Chase nodded. "Well, getting the baby out of there is a lot of hard work, which is why Mommy's so tired now."

"Will she be okay?"

Howl smiled as they reached the door. "I'm sure she will. But why don't you go ask her yourself?"

_-----Ende-----_

and that's all for now. Hope to post more by the end of June.


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